


Castiel's Promise

by MystifyingFog



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-20 01:32:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1491823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MystifyingFog/pseuds/MystifyingFog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On an abnormally warm night in the spring of 2010, only two days after the apocalypse that never was, Dean Winchester sat atop a fifteen story building in Topeka, Kansas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Castiel's Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Post-season 5 AU.
> 
> This was originally posted here on 12/01/13, but I removed it so I could add more to it & change the title.
> 
> Also on [Tumblr](http://angst.co.vu/post/83248676280).

On an abnormally warm night in the spring of 2010, only two days after the apocalypse that never was, Dean Winchester sat atop a fifteen story building in Topeka, Kansas. His legs dangled over the edge as he looked at the buildings surrounding it. Not many were as tall as the one he was sitting on top of, but it was still a brilliant view. He looked down every once in a while, spotting the occasional car that drove by. He contemplated how long it would take to reach the ground if he were to fall.

Sometimes, he looked up, at the night sky. There were clouds scattered around, covering the moon and any stars that weren't already canceled out by the numerous lights shining from the city below. He watched the clouds float by slowly, deciding they couldn't be going more than one or two miles per hour, as the wind where he was sitting was almost nonexistent. Every once in a while, the clouds would move far enough east to reveal the moon. It wouldn't be long before they would return and layer themselves over the thin crescent.

He may have been sitting there for hours; he had lost track of time. He didn't really care how long he was there, anyways. No one had noticed him as far as he knew. He did know that he couldn't stay until daytime, as someone was bound to see him then. But, he was fairly certain that was still hours away, since there was no immediate signs of sunrise happening any time soon.

Dean had his eyes fixed on one particular cloud, inching its way from one side of the sky to the other, when he heard a familiar flap of wings next to him. He sighed, before looking to his left to see the angel in a trenchcoat sitting next to him, also dangling his legs over the edge.

"What are you doing here?" Dean questioned.

"I think the more important question at this point is: what are  _you_  doing here?" Castiel returned.

"I don't know, I thought I'd watch the clouds or something," Dean answered, looking back up at the sky.

"From up here?"

Dean looked back at the angel. "Guess so."

"You could fall."

"Yeah, so?"

"From this height, you would almost certainly die."

"Your point is?"

Cas looked at him with questioning eyes.

Dean just glanced back at him with a pained expression.

He could spot the moment that Cas realized what he was implying.

Cas looked worried and sympathetic at the same time. A little afraid, even. "Oh, Dean."

Dean said nothing, and turned his gaze to the ground below him. He briefly wondered what would happen if he were to fall. Would he die instantly, or would he be alive for a few excruciating seconds? He wondered what it would feel like to have every bone in his body shatter into pieces upon impact. How it would feel to live his final moments in absolute agony. He knew that if he did fall, and didn't die immediately, that he would definitely be unconscious. He wouldn't know what that kind of pain felt like. Not that he really cared to know, anyway.

Castiel's next words brought him out of his trance. "Please tell me you're not thinking of…" He trailed off, but Dean knew what his next word would be.

Dean scoffed. "No." He saw Cas relax a bit from the corner of his eye. "I just… I wonder what it would feel like. To fall from here, and land on the road down there."

Cas looked down. "You would die almost instantly," he explained. "You probably wouldn't feel a thing."

Dean sighed, and didn't reply, causing a lingering silence between the two of them. Dean didn't even think; he just sat there.

Cas broke the silence a couple of minutes later. "Why are you here, Dean?"

"I… don't know." He paused. "I guess, something deep down inside me wants to accidentally fall off this building and end it." Cas looked back at Dean. Dean, still staring at the ground below, could easily tell that Cas was scared he would change his mind and jump off. "I'm not going to jump. I'm just… trying to find a reason to stay alive."

"You would be missed by many," Cas replied.

Dean scoffed again, looking up at Cas. "Yeah? Like who?"

"Bobby," he began. "Me."

"You?  _You_  would miss me?"

Cas nodded.

"Come on, man, I must be like an ant to you. You've been here for thousands of years. I've only been here for three decades."

"Yes, your lifespan is much shorter than mine, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. Dean Winchester, you have one of the most beautiful souls I have ever seen. Do not think for one moment that I wouldn't miss you."

Dean looked back out over the tops of the buildings in the city. "How can you say that, after everything I've done? It was my fault that the apocalypse started. If I hadn't started torturing those souls… Sammy would still be here. He'd still be alive, and not in the cage with Lucifer."

"What can I say to make you understand? Dean, you had no idea you were breaking a seal. Almost every soul in Hell gives in eventually. You held out for thirty years; Dean, you are  _strong_. It was not your fault. It was never your fault."

"I've done some pretty nasty things up here, too, you know."

"And I still find you amazing, in spite of it."

Dean hated to admit it, but he began to cry. He turned his gaze back to Cas as a solitary tear fell down his cheek. Cas reached over, and cradled the side of his face, wiping away the stray tear. Dean absentmindedly leaned into the touch, smiling weakly, sending unspoken thanks to the angel. He could see the incredible amount of adoration in Castiel's expression.

Cas slowly drew his hand away from Dean's face, and instead rested it on top of the hunter's own hand that had been resting near the edge. They both looked up to the sky, watching the clouds roll by. In a spot not covered by a layer of clouds, Dean swore he saw a meteor—only for a split second, not long enough to tap the angel next to him on the shoulder and point it out, but he definitely saw something flash up there. He silently made a wish—one he was almost certain wouldn't come true, anyways. He wished for his brother to somehow come home.

After a few minutes of cloud-gazing, Cas spoke up. "Do you mind if we leave? I don't… feel very comfortable with you sitting up here so close to the edge."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, we can go."

"Do you have a motel room? Or anywhere else to go?" Cas asked. Dean provided the motel name and room number, and Cas placed a hand on his shoulder before flying to the room. Dean looked at the clock; it was 4:18 AM. He decided he should probably sleep, considering how tired he was from being awake for most of the night already. He sat down on his bed.

"Do you want me to stay?" Cas asked.

"No, I'm fine now," Dean reassured.

Cas nodded, and appeared as if he were about to leave, when…

"Cas, wait."

He turned around.

"If I had fallen—accidentally, of course—what would you have done?"

Cas didn't even have to think about it. "I would have caught you."

A pause.

"No matter where you are, any time you fall, I will always be there to catch you, Dean."

And with that, Cas flew off. Dean stared at the empty space the angel had previously occupied for several seconds, before blinking his eyes rapidly and climbing into bed.

* * *

Dean Winchester would fall four times after that.

* * *

The first of those times, Dean had been hunting a solitary werewolf. He had determined there was only one werewolf, as there weren’t enough killings to suggest that there was a pack nearby.

However, Dean was  _very_  wrong.

Dean followed the werewolf into a forest just outside of town. He was going to kill it no matter where it went, but the forest was a good option. He briefly wondered why the creature was going into the woods in the first place, but quickly shrugged it off. Eventually, they reached what appeared to be a campsite. Dean assumed that this was were the werewolf had been staying—though he thought it was a bit weird, as it could have easily lived in an apartment or house.

The werewolf walked up to the large tent, and five large werewolves stepped out.

Dean’s eyes widened. He was outnumbered. Quickly, he turned around and began to run off. Unfortunately for him, the pack of werewolves noticed this, and caught up to him. The werewolf that Dean had been following grabbed the gun out of his hand, and threw it several yards away. The pack of six werewolves surrounded him.

Then, Dean kicked one of the werewolves in the leg—in just the right place to make him topple over—and ran for his life. The pack chased him, though they were several feet behind him. Dean looked back at the creatures for a few seconds, and looked back.

In front of him was a huge cliff. On the ground below was several sharp boulders. Dean quickly tried to stop, and his feet skidded on the dirt. It was too late to save himself; he was going to fall off the edge.

As soon as he felt himself falling, he braced himself for the impact.

Except, instead of feeling broken bones and sharp rocks cutting into his body, Dean felt a pair of strong arms holding him bridal-style.

He opened his eyes, and looked at the face above him. “Cas?”

“Hello, Dean,” Cas greeted.

Dean paused for a moment. “Are you gonna let me down anytime soon?”

“Oh. Yes.” Cas gently let Dean climb out of his arms and stand up next to him. He looked him over. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was trailing a werewolf, then it turned into six, and they chased me until I fell off the cliff,” Dean explained.

“How can one werewolf turn into six?” Cas asked.

Dean rolled his eyes. “It was a  _pack_ , dumbass. Hey, while you’re here, do you think you could take care of the werewolves for me?”

* * *

The second time Dean fell, he was working on a case, but he didn’t know what he was hunting. A few people had been killed in bizarre ways for the past few weeks, but that’s all Dean knew about.

While Dean was at a bar, the bartender slipped a piece of paper to him.

_Meet me on the roof of this building at 10pm. Come alone. 1102 Marketplace Ave_

“It was from that guy over—” the bartender began to point toward an empty space. “Well, he was there just a minute ago.”

Dean thanked the bartender, and left. It was 9:30pm, so he had just enough time to get to the building. By the time Dean reached the roof, it was 10 o’clock on the dot. There was a man with dark-colored hair standing by the edge of the roof.

“Right on time,” the man remarked.

Dean started to reach for his gun. “Who are you?”

The man chuckled. “Why, I’m the one doing all of the killings, of course! And you will be one of the victims, as well, unless you put that gun down.”

Dean froze as the man turned around to face him.

The man chuckled, and continued. “These killings were necessary. Sacrifices, if you will.”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t  _have_  to kill them,” Dean tried.

The man just laughed. “Of course I had to! That’s what the word  _sacrifice_  means! Now, give me your gun.”

Dean sighed, pulled out his gun, and tossed it over toward the man.

“Good. Now, come here and enjoy the view with me. It’s quite delightful.” Dean was confused, but he obliged, and joined the man near the edge of the roof. “I love this city. The views are amazing.”

While the man seemed to be distracted by the view, Dean pulled a knife out of his jacket. As he went in to stab him, however, the man caught his arm, and twisted it in a way that caused Dean to be shoved up against the edge of the roof.

“You had your chance,” the man growled, before shoving Dean off the edge.

While falling, Dean recalled the time he sat on top of a building in Topeka, and wondered how it would feel to fall to the ground. Now, he would know how it would feel.

Well, he would have, if he hadn’t felt a familiar pair of arms holding him rather than the asphalt below.

Just like the last time this happened, Dean looked up at the face of who caught him. “Cas? What—?”

Cas let Dean stand up. “I made a promise to catch you whenever you fall. I intend to keep that promise.”

Dean was confused for a second, but then remembered the conversation he had with Cas after the Topeka incident.

“What happened?” Cas asked.

“Some guy was killing people in strange ways, I came to investigate. He lured me to the roof of that building. When I tried to get him, he shoved me off the edge.”

Cas looked  _furious_. Dean was about to ask him what was wrong, but he disappeared before he could get a word out.

The next day, Dean heard of another strange murder—a man on the roof of a tall building had his eyes burnt out.

* * *

When Dean fell for the third time, he was hunting a demon.

He tracked the demon to where it had been working. Dean found it hard to believe that a demon had a day job, but when he arrived at the office building and asked about the man it was possessing, the secretary told him where his office was.

Dean rode the elevator to the 21st floor of the tall building, and went down the hallway that led to the demon’s office. He knocked on the door.

“Yes?” a voice from the other side of the door said.

Dean opened the door. The demon was looking at its work for the day, and didn’t even glance up to see who was there. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, you can help me,” Dean said as he shut the door behind him. Upon hearing the familiar voice, the demon’s head snapped up to look at the hunter in front of him. Without saying a word, the demon stood up, and walked toward Dean. Dean pulled Ruby’s knife out of his jacket, and made a move to stab the demon. However, the demon saw this move coming, so it was able to quickly disarm Dean.

“Oh, you’re good,” Dean remarked. The demon laughed, and walked right up to Dean. It shoved him against the wall, and started throwing punches until his face was bruised and bleeding. Then, it shoved Dean right through the huge window. He didn’t even have time to think about falling before he felt Castiel’s arms under him once more.

Dean looked up at Cas, expecting to see him looking down at him—but, instead, Cas was just blankly staring forward.

“Cas?” Dean tried. No response. “Cas?”

Without even looking at Dean, Cas spoke up. “Who did this to you?”

“Uh, there was a demon—” Dean didn’t get to finish his sentence before Cas teleported himself and Dean to the office where the demon was.

Cas looked even more furious than he did the last time this happened, if that was even possible. He stood protectively in front of Dean. “ _Don’t touch him_ ,” Cas growled.

The demon slowly backed away as Cas approached him. When it tried to run out of the office, Cas appeared in front of the doorway, and coldly smote it. Dean stood in place, stunned. Cas walked back to him, and transported them both to Dean’s motel room.

“Uh, Cas… what was  _that_?” Dean asked. Cas looked anywhere but at Dean. Dean noticed, and tried to get him to meet his eyes. “You okay?”

“No, I’m not okay, Dean. You keep falling from cliffs and tall buildings, and… it scares me,” Cas answered.

“Why does it scare you?” Dean wondered.

Cas finally looked at Dean. “I… couldn’t bear losing you, Dean.” After a moment of gazing into each other’s eyes, Cas looked away, and sighed. He walked toward Dean, and placed a hand on his cheek to heal his injuries from his run-in with the demon.

“Why does this keep happening?” Cas asked Dean.

Dean sighed, and went to sit on his bed in the motel room. “I don’t know. I mean, it wasn’t really an everyday occurrence when Sam was around. But, now that he’s… you know. I guess I’m just not as good a hunter when I’m alone.”

Silence filled the room for what seemed like several minutes. “ _Please_ , be more careful, Dean,” Cas said before he flew off. Dean looked at the empty space where Cas had been standing, almost wishing he would have stayed.

* * *

The fourth time Dean fell, he wasn’t on top of a tall building or by the edge of a cliff. He was in a parking lot, staring through the window to a motel room. His little brother, fresh from Hell, was sleeping.

Dean turned around to face Cas. He slowly approached the angel, tears of joy gathering in his eyes. They gazed into each other’s eyes for several seconds before Dean said, “Thank you.”

Cas smiled gently, and nodded. Dean gingerly placed his hand on the side of Castiel’s face, and began stroking his cheek with his thumb. Cas leaned into Dean’s touch. Dean slowly leaned forward until their breaths became intermixed, and their foreheads were touching.

Dean tried to convince himself not to go through with what he was about to do. He didn’t want to ruin his friendship with Cas, and he  _knew_  he wasn’t good at any sort of romance. Not to mention, every relationship that he or Sam ever had in the past was ruined by being a hunter. But, he knew that wouldn’t be as big of an issue with Cas, and he also knew that Cas was probably as bad, if not worse, than he was at romance. And that was what ultimately convinced him to close the distance between their lips.

The kiss was gentle and only lasted for about fifteen seconds, but it meant everything to Dean.

Once again resting his forehead on Castiel’s, Dean whispered, “Thank you.” He closed his eyes, and cherished the moment, before he slowly pulled away to go check on his brother.

The fourth time Dean fell, he didn’t fall from a building or a cliff—he fell in love; and Castiel was there to catch him.


End file.
